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Updated May 26th, 2022 at 12:18 IST

Russia seeks to stop teaching of English language in Crimea's schools: Report

The Russian occupation government on the Crimean Peninsula seeks to eliminate the teaching of the English language in general education institutions.

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Russia
Image: AP | Image:self
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In the midst of the raging Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian occupation administration on the Crimean Peninsula seeks to stop the teaching of the English language in general education institutions, claiming that it is unnecessary. Vladimir Konstantinov, the so-called Speaker of the State Council of Crimea, said in a statement, “Languages are a controversial question for me, very ambiguous-- why should we blindly follow the path of the English language?  Why teach something that is not needed if a person never goes to London?” Tass reported.  

Further, Konstantinov went on to say, “Stupidly following another civilization is dangerous. We make (children) hostages – they will say that they know English and wonder what England is like. Let's study our own languages, develop our own languages!” Ukrainian Pravda reported. He also highlighted the fact that for thousands of years, the English have been at war with them, yet they continue to study the English language, squandering money on professors and time – and "then there is not enough time for history."  

However, Konstantinov did not clarify whether he referred to the study of the Crimean Tatar language at educational institutions by Crimean natives, as it is the local language of the peninsula's indigenous people. 

80 schools in Donetsk have been compelled to adopt Russia's school curriculum

Furthermore, in another separate incident, approximately 80 schools in the seized Donetsk area of east Ukraine have been compelled to adopt the Russian educational system. Primary and secondary teachers will now be required to follow Russia's school curriculum and language instructions, as per a report by Tass News Agency. 

This instruction came after the Russian military in Kherson Oblast's Genichesk requested that educators at local schools follow the Russian curriculum starting September 1, according to Kherson Regional Deputy Yuri Sobovesky's Facebook post. Teachers who do not comply with the new guidelines will be taken to Crimea "for retraining in the summer," while the others will be fired, according to the invading forces. 

Meanwhile, as of May 21, the Russian troops have destroyed above 1,800 educational facilities since the commencement of the war on February 24. On Saturday night, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the country that the Russian army had destroyed 1,873 educational facilities, describing the action as "a colossal scale of losses." The total, according to the Ukrainian President, comprises elementary schools, colleges, kindergartens, and other institutions. Meanwhile, he said that Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who visited Kyiv on Saturday, volunteered to rebuild Ukrainian schools and kindergartens that had been demolished by Putin's soldiers since the invasion. 

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Published May 26th, 2022 at 12:18 IST

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